by John Medendorp, editor-in-chief
Most of us at CTS don’t get the opportunity to experience Orientation and Gateway more than once. But this year, I had the privilege of being involved in the first day of Gateway, during the Student Fair and the ice-cream social.
Before the Student Fair, incoming students participated in a lunch with their Student Ambassadors and the Student Senate executive team. As a part of the lunch, new students were invited to participate in a building competition, using toothpicks, candies and marshmallows (some creative teams even incorporated their chopsticks and place-mats from lunch to enhance their designs). Prizes (including a signed photo of the Dr. Lyle Bierma) were awarded to the tallest, the most structurally sound, and the most creative.
Students used their combined skills to create a variety of creations, including a replica of the colosseum, an “impossible molecule,” a laptop running Logos, and a replica of the St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva.
Energy ran high throughout the afternoon, as students visited tables with information about various logistical issues at the Student Fair.
In the evening, there was a great turnout for the ice-cream social, which was quite different from previous years. Thanks to some creative planning and organizing by the Orientation board and the Dean of Students’ office, the children of seminarians were able to enjoy face-painting, sidewalk chalk, balloon animals, and bubbles, while parents got to know each other and rub shoulders with faculty, staff, and returning students, all of whom showed up in impressive numbers.